# Puff Monthly Tobacco Review: Prince Albert (September 2012)



## gahdzila

Gentlemen, it's time to open those "luxury pouches" or tubs of Prince Albert....and wax nostalgic about the days of prank phone calls to convenience stores across America to let him out of the can! :lol: Let's see some reviews!


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## MontyTheMooch

I went a little different this time around and chose to try smoking this in my short (@7") Clay pipe. An altogether DIFFERENT experience for those of you who have never tried a clay. In my opinion you're not going to get a much "cleaner" taste of the tobacco unless you're using a new pipe. While I can't say that Prince Albert knocked my socks off I can definitely say that it WAS a rather pleasant smoke. Especially in the clay. I found it to have a surprising mild chocolaty finish to it which I found very....comforting. I was initially put off when I found that the pouch was just pressed closed and folded over (not sealed), but was relieved when I saw that the tobacco was in excellent shape. This was my first experience with Prince Albert so i came into it with Zero expectations. Packing was super easy, the light and tamp were surprisingly simple, and the bowl was very good over all. While I can't say this would be an all the time smoke for me I can say without a doubt that if I was running low on tobacco I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a pouch for an emergency.


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## Baron_Null

My first real review. Haven't really developed my pallet yet, but I can comment on things besides the flavor.

Prince Albert was the second to last pipe tobacco I've tried, and is now an almost daily smoke for me.

THE GOOD- Places the tobacco excels-
-This tobacco has a great pouch smell. Has a fig-newton-esque smell that most pipe tobaccos seem to have, with notes of chocolate. To my nose it almost has a mint-like smell to it, but more in the sense of dried mint leaves than menthol or mint candy.
-Very easy to pack, and seems almost impossible to pack too much or too little, as long as some form of technique is used. This has really helped me get over some of the newbie teething problems encountered with packing technique.
-Lights quickly, doesn't expand a ridiculous amount like some tobaccos, and is easy to relight if necessary.
-Easy to keep burning. Once again, as someone somewhat new to pipes, having to relight over and over and over can make smoking more frustrating than anything.
-The prince obviously deems biting as a behavior not fit for royalty. The only way I've ever got PA to give me any bite is when I purposefully puffed enough to produce giant billowing clouds of smoke, which requires an active effort to do. Once again, good for a relaxation smoke, as thinking about the events of the day instead of sipping rate can make for some reckless smoking. Great for newbies, since bite can easily turn someone off to pipe smoking.
-Flavor is nice. Has the burley nutty-type flavors, and coco flavors.
-Cheap and available. Many non-pipe specialty stores are likely to carry a bit of PA, and usually for a reasonable price.

THE BAD- Places the tobacco fails-
-It's taken me a while of thinking, and still can't come up with a true negative

THE UGLY- Things that may detract from the tobacco-
-Pouches on store shelves may or may be ancient. Considering relatively low number of pipe smokers, and the even fewer who smoke PA enough to get it quite often, PA on the shelf may or may not be as fresh as it could be. Whether this makes a difference I have yet to see, but remains a possibility.
-The flavor is nice, but not truly delicious. This has the benefit of not making one feel as if they are wasting tobacco if they aren't in the mood to analyze the flavors of the smoke (as I am after a long day at work). However, this makes it easy to become tired of the blend quickly, if your preferences aren't skewed towards PA.
-Some pipe smokers view PA as an inferior tobacco. Sticks and stones may damage my pipe, but it depends on the smoker whether or not those words will hurt their smoke.
-Neutral room note. Not something that will drive away most people (excluding super-anti-tobacco fake-coughing-non-smokers) but not something that people would seek out to be around. One would probably want a nicer smelling tobacco to smoke in a social situation with non-pipe-smokers, but will work in a pinch.

Prince Albert is one of my favorite tobaccos for most of THE GOOD reasons listed above. Despite not having a super fantastic flavor, it has become a daily smoke. I find it one of the best tobaccos to smoke after work, or while working on schoolwork. It will always have a place in my cellar.


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## Shemp75

Standing by for Dales review.op2:


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## freestoke

"The prince obviously deems biting as a behavior not fit for royalty. " Superior review, Erik! Great line there. :rofl:


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## DSturg369

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/pipe-related-reviews/287285-prince-albert.html


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## freestoke

Sometimes I think a lot of pipe smokers are basically occasional smokers, with perhaps a smaller percentage more in the direction of habitual cigarette smokers -- like me. I smoke a lot of pipes during the day (very occasionally 15 or so but usually about 10), so every time I smoke cannot be dedicated to a period of reflection and appreciation for the subtleties of the fine tobacco I'm smoking at the moment. I just need to "feed my head", as they used to say during the Age of Aquarius. :hippie: I like nicotine, and, with a rigorous application of the word "addict", I would hazard that I'm nicotine addicted. Some have expressed disapprobation at my weakness, implying that my smoking habits are in some way excessive, my aesthetic sensibilities blunt, and they may be right. sigh. I'm such a rube. out: But PA is the very thing for habit piping! :smile: It stays lit, it doesn't bite, doesn't do too much damage to the atmosphere in a room, and it's less expensive than "real" tobacco. If you don't pay attention, who cares? (He's a boring old guy, true, but nice. Nod your head once in a while and he's happy enough to keep smoking happily on.)

Speaking as a nicotine addict, certain tobaccos are more like whiskey, while PA is at best a weak beer. Even alcoholics sometimes like to pace themselves, and though I could quickly overload on Brown Irish Twist, I'd never get much of any boost from continuously puffing on PA. Often as not, I use PA as a mixer, in the cocktail sense. If you say "gin and tonic", you're not drinking tonic, it's a gin drink! When I snip off a couple of coins of Black XX and break them up into a pile of PA, I'm not smoking PA really, even though that comprises over half the mix, I'm smoking BXX for the nicotine and taste both, like I'm drinking a gin and tonic for the gin. (A scrap of Ennerdale in the mix is like that twist of lime! ainkiller: Perfect!) Swigging gin straight from the bottle would send me home from the party early, if you get my drift. oke:

Furthermore, in my pipe world, aromatics are virtually unsmokable straight up. All of them are too much for me, without exception. Not that I CAN'T smoke them, it's just that I find them cloying every one, and they rarely burn worth a damn. PA is the perfect solution. Aromatics almost universally fail the nicotine filter and PA doesn't do much for that, but some PA, a splash of that nasty aromatic with a little spine from Five Brothers Gymnasium or Kendal's Kentucky Pucky and you have a crowd friendly smoke with a little bit for the "head". The PA will keep it burning nice and cut any potential tongue damage from another frequently met with side effect from aromatics.

PA isn't just a tobacco, it's an all-purpose smoking ingredient.









Here you can find earlier reflections on* http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/pipe-related-reviews/285706-humble-prince.html.*


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## BigKev77

Here is a tobacco I don't mind reviewing. Most of the time the reviewer overly exaggerates the multiple levels of complexity throughout the bowl and all that crap. Well you just can't do that with PA. I am a straight forward country boy(some might say *******) who smokes a pipe because I enjoy the taste of tobacco. I don't have the visions of Tolkien, hobbits, or Lord Rudolph dancing in my head. Not that there is anything wrong with that. So with that out of the way here is PA. 

It is a solid simple burley. I let my tub air out a few days before I dip into her because I don't care for that topping or whatever smell that is from a fresh tub. After some time it smells like tobacco yes tobacco and it is good. It packs and lights as easy as can be. The taste is nutty and every once in a while I think cinnamon maybe. Look at me getting all complex. The room note is tolerable to pleasant which has a little sweetness to it. I smoke PA at least once a day. It is one of those tobaccos that you just don't have to think about but gives you a darned good satisfying smoke every time. It's good stuff.

Like freestoke, I have been mixing it with aromatics for a long time. Makes them burn better and actually taste of tobacco.


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## gahdzila

Ah, the ole Prince. Prince Albert holds a special nostalgia for me, since it was the first pipe tobacco I ever tried (save for a brief trial with some cherry stuff as a teenager....but that doesn't really count).

Simple? If you take it at face value, yeah. You can mindlessly puff PA, and just get that mild straight tobacco taste. If you pay attention, though, there really is a lot going on flavor wise. There's the nutty burley flavor. There's the sort of raisin-y pouch note that carries over to the smoke. There's an almost chocolate-esque flavor to the finish. There's some sweetness in there. And I get something else, too - a soft creamy flavor, sort of a butter-vanilla-butterscotch, but not really close enough to any of those to say "that's what it tastes like"....it's a very pleasant flavor, I assume must be from the topping. BigKev is probably thinking that I'm over analyzing....and he's right, to an extent. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just puffing away on PA and not picking apart the minutia of flavorings - that's the way _I_ smoke it most of the time. But I figured the prince deserved a bit more than that in my review 

If a newbie ever asks for a pipe baccy recommendation, PA is the first one I mention. It's the easiest to smoke blend I've found. It's never too moist, it's so easy to pack, and it takes a flame effortlessly. There aren't many blends that I could confidently claim to be able to finish a bowl with a single paper match, but I definitely could with PA, straight out of the pouch or tub.

Which brings up another point - pouch vs tub. Yes, they are the exact same blend. And there's nothing inherently wrong with PA in a pouch. But I've found the quality of the pouches to be a bit inconsistent. Sometimes you get one that tastes just like the stuff from a tub...but sometimes it's a little drier, and sometimes the flavor is a little muted. I assume this is due to the packaging not being able to keep it as fresh as long. It's not a huge difference, honestly...and I wouldn't recommend anyone buy a 14 ounce tub as their first trial run with _any_ tobacco. But if you smoke PA regularly and usually buy pouches, you'd definitely be well served to buy yourself a tub next time.

Great tobacco, a staple in my cellar. Nothing pairs better with my morning coffee. Highly recommended!


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## freestoke

Bravo, Clifford! :yo: Never saw anybody take that tack with the Prince! Cool.

+1 on the tub.


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## BigKev77

Dang gahdzila! Way to complicate the crap out of PA. LOL 

Good review. I have that can't quite place the flavor thing too but it is cinnamon-ish maybe or maybe not for me. Could be a butterscotch note. See I am getting sucked in by complicated fancy thinking people again.

X3 on the tub!!


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## freestoke

Just got a brown envelope from Dan. :spy: Looks like it's probably about 56 years old. :lol: Might even be Prince Albert, recently escaped from the can! :banana:

Haven't opened it yet.


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## Desertlifter

First time around for the drugstore blend category for me - one reason that I nominated it this month. I continue to attempt to grow my piping palate, and I learn from all y'all!

I was really looking forward to this one. Of course I really look forward to all of the monthly reviews, but what can you say. I chose the cob for my first PA foray (hah!) and pulled it out of my possibles bag when I got into my truck this morning. If you shoot blackpowder, you know what I am talking about. If not, look it up - or not. It's all good. In the pouch, PA smells a bit of raisins and figs, with a nutty undertone that I expect in a burley. This stuff packs WAY easy and lights easily as well. I really get why it is recommended for noobs. Plus....

It's pretty damned good! Complex and subtle? Nope - not really. Even and cool burning? Oh hells yes. The raisin/fig nose (wine snob term there - sorry for that) that I detected in the pouch is pretty much invisible in the bowl. There was a slight flowery note....oh yeah - this cob is a bit "lakeland-ed" - but settles in well enough after a few puffs. There is a slight sweetness to PA nonetheless, which didn't seem an artifact of my cob - I will have another bowl on the morrow in my briar. The nutty burley flavor that one expects is there in spades, and this makes for a nice relaxing smoke. Nice stuff that I don't worry about knocking out of my pipe if time runs short.

One other thing about PA that immediately comes to mind comes from that lakeland note. I can see using PA to cut a blend that overpowers the taste buds if one wanted to effect such a thing. In fact, this is the first tobacco that has brought that immediately to mind for me. I'm thinking about cooling down bitey aros, and I will absolutely toss a bit of latakia that I have sitting around for blending into a bowl with this stuff.

In short, I will keep it around. This stuff is pretty darned good!


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## FWTX

So - this Prince Albert was in a can?


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## FWTX

So - you keep this Prince Albert in a can?
Was it kept in a refrigerator and was the refrigerator running?

alright - I'm sorry - I googled "prince albert in a can" knowing the punch line, but I couldn't believe the results - 
"What does the term Prince Albert in a Can mean and how did it get started?"
- "I believe a Prince Albert is a penile piercing. I'm not sure what "in a Can" means though." :frusty:

but finding one of these knives would be cool - http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/articles/PrinceAlbert.pdf


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## freestoke

FWTX said:


> So - this Prince Albert was in a can?


This one was! http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/312015-look-what-i-just-scored.html

and eventually:

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...2015-look-what-i-just-scored.html#post3667907


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## Blue Raccoon

The Prince is a great everyday no brainer.. grab and go. while other folks are cellering 2oz tins I'm stocking away 14oz tubs of PA and CH.


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## freestoke

Indeed. About a year and a half ago, I decided to stock up, buying a tub of CH, Walnut and four of PA. I'm down to one tub of PA and a couple of 8 ounce jars of CH and Walnut (that only hold maybe three ounces of goodies). Gotta get more!


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## FWTX

freestoke said:


> This one was! http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/312015-look-what-i-just-scored.html
> 
> and eventually:
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...2015-look-what-i-just-scored.html#post3667907


My - that is impressive, very impressive.


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## MontyTheMooch

Blue Raccoon said:


> The Prince is a great everyday no brainer.. grab and go. while other folks are cellering 2oz tins I'm stocking away 14oz tubs of PA and CH.


Are you cellaring in the tubs or transferring to jars?


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## freestoke

MontyTheMooch said:


> Are you cellaring in the tubs or transferring to jars?


The tubs keep amazingly well. Don't think they're good for 56 years or anything, but for a year -- yeah, easy. I've done fine taking 3 ounces out and putting it into a jar for smoking and just putting the lid back on the tub. I'm smoking the last of a tub now and it was perfectly fresh when I emptied the last out of the tub.


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## 36Bones

Walnut. There's one I haven't tried in a long time.


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## AStateJB

DANGIT! Somebody help me out please. I tried to bump Baron Null's RG but accidentally took away! :doh: I love the way his review was done. So could a couple of you gentlemen help me out and fix his RG for me please?

So sorry, Erik!


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## MontyTheMooch

AStateJB said:


> DANGIT! Somebody help me out please. I tried to bump Baron Null's RG but accidentally took away! :doh: I love the way his review was done. So could a couple of you gentlemen help me out and fix his RG for me please?
> 
> So sorry, Erik!


RG Given.  You guys in Arkansas do everything Bass Ackwards don't you....


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## AStateJB

MontyTheMooch said:


> RG Given.  You guys in Arkansas do everything Bass Ackwards don't you....


.about talking you're what know don't I


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## gahdzila

AStateJB said:


> DANGIT! Somebody help me out please. I tried to bump Baron Null's RG but accidentally took away! :doh: I love the way his review was done. So could a couple of you gentlemen help me out and fix his RG for me please?
> 
> So sorry, Erik!


Josh - PM a mod. I'm sure they could fix that for you.


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## AStateJB

gahdzila said:


> Josh - PM a mod. I'm sure they could fix that for you.


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a try.


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## BigKev77

MontyTheMooch said:


> RG Given.  You guys in Arkansas do everything Bass Ackwards don't you....


We take that as a compliment coming from a CA.:thumb:


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## MontyTheMooch

BigKev77 said:


> We take that as a compliment coming from a CA.:thumb:


LOL! Ain't that the truth. The California Legislature has the "Buy a new car since you can't make the payments on the current one" mentality.


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## freestoke

MontyTheMooch said:


> LOL! Ain't that the truth. The California Legislature has the "Buy a new car since you can't make the payments on the current one" mentality.


The American dream is to go $10 million into debt, declare bankruptcy and start over again with richer friends. :u


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## Gigmaster

> Sometimes I think a lot of pipe smokers are basically occasional smokers


I am basically and occasional pipe smoker. I hardly ever smoke more than 8 or 9 bowls a day.....:vs_smile:


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